Photo by Ronnie R.

Anyone who lives or frequents the 14th Street NW corridor between Logan Circle and U Street has surely seen Michael, the man whose belongings have been piled up on the corner of 14th and Corcoran Streets NW for at least a couple of years. Michael isn’t a panhandler — personally, I’ve never heard him ask for anything from anyone passing by, let alone money — but his pile of belongings, which includes furniture, clothing, and other various supplies depending on the season, had prompted questions about blight in a corridor that is still undergoing a major transition.

The city recently posted notice that they would conduct a “general cleanup” of the corner on April 29th — but according to neighborhood blog 14th and You, Michael’s belongings were removed from the area over the weekend. Michael hasn’t gone very far, however:

However, the city cannot force Michael into a shelter or treatment program, which highlights the difficulties in addressing problematic situations with the homeless and/or mentally ill. Thus, Michael has simply moved down the block, in front of the Shirt Laundry dry cleaners building, and appears to be commencing the collection of another assortment of “stuff”. Lather, rinse, repeat?

Michael represents one of the more visible examples of the challenges the city faces when dealing with homeless services: he’s neither a danger nor a nuisance to anyone, but it’s pretty obvious that a huge pile of refuse has no place blocking such a large parcel of pedestrian space. And obviously, just conducting a “general cleanup” doesn’t really solve the problem. (After all, this isn’t the first time his pile has been cleared away, only for it to return.)

The question becomes, then: what’s the next step? That’s a tough question for which there aren’t very many easy answers.